*****This is quite good. The verses and the chorus are both very engaging and I only have a minor issue with the beat being somewhat irritating at times. The best song from 1989 for me though.Last edited: 01/03/2015 12:15

*****"I hate the way they portray us in the media, if you see a female singer-songwriter they say you're a crazy bitch, if you see a male singer-songwriter they say you're expressing sincere emotions"

Okay, that's not actually a real quote, it's infact Taylor Swift's comment about the sexist criticism she gets for being good at writing love songs structured framed into Kanye West's notorious declaration of racial injustice during the Hurricane Katrina telethon (why are cyclone disasters always named after women?). Believe it or not, there's something curiously symbiotic about Taylor Swift and the guy who drunkenly interrupted her VMA awards speech 5 years ago in both how they express themselves musically and the public perception of them as people. Both have a knack for intimate lyricism both revealing of they're self-belief and insecurities in way that's endearing even when (or because) it sounds corny. Both have reached the point where they've no longer limited themselves to what genre of music they're 'supposed' to belong to and became perhaps pop music's two biggest forces of this decade. Unfortunately, both have often gotten even amounts of venomous bile from a lot of people that, while people who say it will aggressively deny it, stems from an uncomfortably racist and sexist place of resentment, aided by the onslaught of clickbait articles irresponsibly presenting Kanye's many interviews getting hits of making him look like an Angry Black Buffoon and frankly ludicrous articles going as far as making Taylor Swift's business decisions (i.e. not being on Spotify) sound like breakup stories, keeping the idea that she's culture Serial Heartbreaker Woman.

And brilliantly, one thing both of them ALSO have in commonis how they also churn out records which respond to this negative attention by embodying the hyper-realised punching bag TMZ want's you to think of them as, whilst bringing the joke back on those people. Much of Kanye's last two albums are like this in terms of narrative, and some of Taylor's singles of Red suggested at this too, so it's refreshing to see this song become the phenomenon it is, since it's damn great and remarkable that even without the video you can hear how thrilled she is playing this fictional, wicked character in her singing and delivery, yet never sounds overly snarky like some past hits of hers did.

And the great news is apparently now they're gonna start making music together! This is gonna be one of the best duets OF ALL TIME!

*Disclaimer: No I don't mean to imply that you are racist and/or sexist if you don't like Kanye and/or Taylor's music, no artist is for everybody, I mean the people who get a suspiciously smug kick out of bashing them on a daily basis, especially when they're white and/or male.Last edited: 19/02/2015 08:30

******I pretty much agree with bluezombie here that this is the best on the album. It has a mature sound but it keeps Taylor's quirks in at the same time. The lyrics are really what makes this shine, and it is still SO Taylor even if I feel that she has grown and developed so much as an artist ever since her debut. I love it already and it's bound to be a hit.

Edit: Just so good. Better than "Shake It Off" and the best on the album. Fantastic effort and I'm so happy with its success.Last edited: 04/01/2015 10:19

****I'm going to go ahead and give it 4*, although I haven't engaged with it in the same way I did with "Out of the Woods". However, as much as I try to fight it, I always end up liking Taylor's singles (minus 22) and I know I'm going to end up loving this by months end. Swift, you're a cruel mistress.

****It sounds ridiculous to say, but this seems a bit of an unexpected hit for me, just because I didn't think it particularly stood out on the album. I guess for that matter, the video gives it more of a hook (in the advertising sense). That said, I think it's rather well written still. To continue what I'd said on "Shake It Off", this again feels like a hit back against retractors, instead of writing just another break up song, this feels like it's the blatant 'break up song' song. A caricature that lets everyone know she's in on it. That it comes packaged with quite the catchy tune is just a bonus.

***I'm left unimpressed by this. Clever marketing has made it the hit it is, but it sounds kind of like a watered-down version of other similar yet better electro-based tracks.She has changed style but it almost seems random rather than some genuine progression from her roots.I also feel there is some subtle brainwashing going on here lyrically and visually in the video. Her non-singing (speaking) moments are also close to cringe (once again).A pass for me. Hopefully the next release will be a fun track. 2.7*

****I have to admit I lost some respect for Taylor when I looked closely at the lyrics for this. I probably sound really annoying and grumpy with my hating of "Shake It Off" but it just comes across as such a desperate thing to release as a comeback single and has many flaws which I've pointed out in my review of it. I don't have a problem with commentary on the public's perception of you, as it's commonly unnecessarily negative and crafted in a way that's unfair on said artist. This is a case for Taylor Swift. Yes she dates lots of people. And? I'm sure it's no more than most young women anyway and I'd say it's reasonably normal. Yes she writes songs about it, again and? It's made out like no one ever has done this before. Back to my opening sentence, I find this much better commentary on this. Whereas "Shake It Off" comes across as childish and unnecessarily pretentious, this has an air of sophistication to it. Lyrically this is much cleverer and doesn't rely on cringeworthy and unnecessary things like the bridge of "Shake It Off" to get the message across. It makes "Shake It Off" even less worthy of existence in my opinion, which just makes me angry, frustrated and disappointed with Taylor.

I don't find it as lyrically amazing as others do. But listening to her say things like "oh my gosh look at that face, you look like my next mistake" in that sarcastic tone is irresistible. There's also some amusement at this being the first ARIA #1 after the inclusion of streaming data into the chart given Taylor's stance on Spotify. With all that said I do find it has some flaws. Most notably the production, which has those subtle and unnecessary "ho"'s. Also have just gotten naturally a bit sick of it, though I do still enjoy it. It doesn't make me want to claim her as the queen of pop like everyone else seems to do, but it's quite a catchy and well written song that I think was worthy of being a #1. Oh and I'm also glad that unlike the previous single this is going away at a reasonable pace.

Edit: Just thought I'd mention that just in case the first sentence confuses people, the reason I lost respect is because in some ways it is doing the same thing as "Shake It Off" which makes the existence of that song more redundant imo.Last edited: 01/03/2015 12:11